The University of Northern Colorado sports teams have a lot to celebrate this week after a busy and important weekend.
Track and baseball both earned huge wins, while the men’s basketball program signed a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining.
Track and field
The UNC track and field team is living by the saying, “records were made to be broken.” That’s what it did this weekend at the Air Force Twilight Open, setting new program records, personal records and earning seven spots on the podium.
Graduate student Qwazon Al-Khaliq dominated in the triple jump — again — winning the event and setting the school event record. His jump came in at 53 feet-5 3/4 inches (16.30 meters), which resets the record (52 feet-7 1/4 inches) he set earlier this year.
Al-Khaliq’s jump is still the best in the Big Sky, while also being No. 2 in the NCAA West Region and No. 6 nationally.
His success at the meet brought conference accolades for the second time this season. Al-Khaliq received the Big Sky Male Field Athletes of the Week Award. He won the Big Sky indoor triple jump title earlier this year.
Sophomore Welre Olivier placed second in the event, recording a jump of 51 feet-1 1/2 inches (15.58 m). Olivier’s jump is No. 17 in the West Region and No. 43 in the NCAA. He holds the No. 3 best jump in program history; it was previously the record before Al-Khaliq’s impressive performances.
Olivier’s jump was more than 4 feet better than the third-place finisher, and Al-Khaliq’s was more than 6 feet better.
Freshman Jerome Campbell made history again in the 110-meter hurdles, finishing with a time of 13.76. He previously broke a 25-year-old record with a sub-14 second time. This new record puts him at No. 15 in the West Region and No. 32 nationally, in addition to leading the conference.
Campbell ran in the 4×100 men’s relay, as well, winning the gold medal. The squad finished in 41.43 to earn the win.
Sophomore Wendira Moss won the women’s 200 meter, setting a personal record of 24.46. She holds the No. 8 time in the league.
Finally, senior Hailey Harris claimed the gold in the women’s triple jump. She logged a hop of 38 feet-4 3/4 inches (11.70 m), roughly one foot better than the second-place competitor. This was also a personal record and comes in as the No. 14 mark in the Big Sky.
Harris placed third in the women’s long jump with a measurement of 16 feet-9 1/4 inches (5.11 m).
The Bears will compete at the Big Sky Outdoor Championships in Pocatello, Idaho, from Wednesday through Saturday.
Baseball game 1
After getting swept by Oral Roberts and giving up a game one win due to mistakes, the Bears bounced back on Sunday. They won the doubleheader and the series with wins in both contests.
UNC (12-32, 8-13 Summit League) beat Western Illinois (6-38, 4-17 Summit League), scraping by with a total of four extra runs.
In the first contest of the day, the Bears defeated the Leathernecks, 11-10, behind a strong start.
Northern Colorado’s offense got started in the top of the first. Sophomore second baseman Shaydon Kubo doubled to get on the bags, then freshman right fielder Jake King was hit by a pitch.
Freshman catcher Craig Kenny capitalized on the early base running by hitting a three-run blast over the fence to give UNC a 3-0 lead.
In the second inning, sophomore third baseman Chase Cromer reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Junior center fielder Hayden Heinze drew a walk, and Cromer advanced on another wild pitch.
Sophomore shortstop Cameron Cromer was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Then, Kubo hit a grand slam to put the Bears on top 7-0.
WIU cut into the lead quickly, though, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third. The Leathernecks loaded the bases after recording a single and earning two free trips. A sacrifice fly brought in the first run.
The pitching staff then walked in a run and an error scored two, making the game 7-4.
UNC added two more runs in the fourth and the fifth innings, respectively. Cameron Cromer advanced on an error and ultimately scored with Kenny’s sac fly.
Sophomore designated hitter Caden Wagner also flied out and brought Kubo home.
The Cromer brothers were busy in the top of the fifth, too. Chase Cromer scored on an error by the WIU catcher, and Cameron Cromer plated one after another wild pitch.
Western Illinois logged two home run singles in the fourth and fifth, plus several well-timed RBI. One run did score off a UNC fielding error.
The defense on both sides kept the score at 11-10 for the remainder of the game.
UNC finished with 10 hits, nine RBI and three errors. Western Illinois had 10 hits, eight RBI and three errors.
Both bullpens struggled with mistakes. The Bears logged nine strikeouts, seven walks and three hit batters. The Leathernecks finished with eight strikeouts, three walks, three wild pitches and four hit by a pitch.
Kubo had the best performance of the game, going 3-for-5 at the plate. He accounted for a game-high four RBI. Kubo and Cameron Cromer also tied with three runs scored.
Baseball game 2
Things were cleaner in the second contest of the day, giving Northern Colorado a bigger advantage. It defeated the home team, 7-4.
Kubo scored first, singling to get on base and then advancing on Kenny’s double. Wagner added another home run to the day’s stat line, putting the team up 3-0 for the second time.
It took until the top of the fifth for UNC to score again when it loaded the bases with a walk, single and an error. Then, the team was able to walk in the fourth run after a WIU error.
The Leathernecks loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame with two singles and a walk. They plated their first run after a wild pitch.
Junior left fielder Cade Moeller drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, advancing on a groundout and single. Moeller then scored on a wild pitch.
UNC loaded the bases once again and added to the run total with an RBI single from Kenny.
The final Bears run came in the top of the eighth when Kubo singled and brought home senior third baseman Aiden Leahy.
WIU added two runs in the sixth and one in the bottom of the ninth, but the home team couldn’t force extras.
Kubo led the team again. He went 2-for-3, scoring twice and adding an RBI. He drew two walks, as well. Kenny and Wagner went 2-for-5, each contributing two RBI and one run scored.
As a team, Northern Colorado finished with 13 hits and just one error, while the Leathernecks had 10 hits and two errors.
Pitching was much better for the Bears in round two. The staff combined for 10 strikeouts, walked one and logged two wild pitches.
WIU’s bullpen struggled for the second time. It finished with seven strikeouts, six walks and one wild pitch.
The Bears are headed to North Dakota State this weekend to face one of the two teams that swept them. First pitch of the series is set for 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Men’s basketball
UNC completed the signing class for the upcoming season this week by adding a graduate transfer.
Riley Abercrombie will attend Northern Colorado after spending two seasons at Rice. He is a 6-foot-9 forward, who can stretch the floor.
Abercrombie shot 40.8% from 3-point range last season, making 20-of-49. He averaged 3.2 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. He was a member of the Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honor Court in 2021.
Originally from Australia, Abercrombie played at Clear Lake High School in Houston, Texas, and started his college career at Boise State. He redshirted his first year and played limited minutes during the 2019-20 season.
“We’re thrilled to announce the addition of Riley Abercrombie to our program. He is exactly what we were looking for, both on and off the court,” UNC coach Steve Smiley said in a statement. “With a roster that has a lot of extremely talented but inexperienced youth, our goal was to get one more veteran piece to go along with our current vets Matt Johnson II (sixth year), Daylen Kountz (fifth year) and Dalton Knecht (fourth year) to solidify our core. Riley fits that bill, as he’ll be entering his fifth year in college next season after graduating this spring from Rice University. The bonus is that Riley still has two years left to play as a grad transfer. His maturity and professionalism are off the charts and he’ll fit in immediately with our group.”
Smiley said he believes Abercrombie will be able to step into a role left by beloved Bear Bodie Hume, who announced last month that he was pursuing professional basketball opportunities.
Abercrombie joins a number of new recruits for next season, including Langston Reynolds, Brock Wisne, Juju Ramirez and Caleb Shaw.
The signees and returning players look to replace Hume, graduate Dru Kuxhausen, Kur Jongkuch and Tre’Shon Smoots. Kountz is undergoing the NBA Draft evaluation process, but he may return for the fall, depending on his draft prospects.
